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Scorpion Solitaire
Scorpion is a one-deck patience game that mixes ideas from Spider and Yukon. Like Spider, you build runs from King down to Ace in a single suit inside the tableau; like Yukon, you can move any face-up card together with everything on top of it. There are no foundations — the game is won when four columns each hold a complete suit. It is known as one of the tougher single-deck solitaires.
Scorpion Solitaire Rules
Seven columns of seven cards are dealt. In each of the first four columns the three cards at the back are face down; everything else is face up. The last three cards are kept aside as a small stock.
A card can be placed on the next-higher card of the same suit — the 9♥ on the 10♥. You may move any face-up card, and all the cards on top of it move too, whether or not they are in order. Only a King, with its cards, can go into an empty column. Face-down cards turn over when uncovered.
Once, at any time, you can deal the three stock cards: one onto each of the three leftmost columns. You win when every card sits in four King-to-Ace runs, one per suit.
Scorpion Solitaire Strategy & Tips
Free the face-down cards early
The twelve hidden cards in the first four columns are the main obstacle. Any move that uncovers one is usually worth more than a move that only lengthens a run.
Treat each card as having one home
With one deck and same-suit building, every card has exactly one possible parent. Find where the parent of a blocking card is and work out what's covering it — that tells you the order your moves must happen in.
Create an empty column for a buried King
A King stuck low in a column traps everything under it. Clearing a column gives that King, and every card stacked on it, somewhere to go.
Deal the stock at the right moment
The three stock cards land on the left-hand columns, possibly covering something you need. Deal them once you've made the moves you can, before you've filled the left columns with careful work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Scorpion different from Spider Solitaire?
Scorpion uses one deck instead of two, lets you move any face-up card with whatever is on top of it (Spider only moves ordered same-suit runs), allows only Kings into empty columns, and has a stock of just three cards. Completed runs stay in the tableau rather than being removed.
What happens to the three extra cards?
They form the stock. You may deal them once, whenever you choose, and they go one each onto the first three columns. There's no other way to bring them into play.
Why can't I move a card into an empty column?
In Scorpion only a King can start a new column, because the goal is four runs that each begin with a King. Any other card has to go on the next-higher card of its own suit.
Is Scorpion Solitaire hard?
Yes. Because every card has only one legal parent, many deals can't be won no matter how you play. Treat a win as a real achievement, and use Undo to explore different lines when you're close.